The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1887-01-27
the man who had rowcd her boat that


and the millionaire, whose home and
happiness her husband had ruined.
She had never met him before, but
she had heard often of his generosity
and of his great wealth.
''God have mercy tonight upon four
of his miserable creatures, she said
still calmly.
Three" corrected Resseguie. grim
ly. ''Muriel Warner | know the entire
history of your life. | learned it while
! was hunting your husband down. l
ask no sympathy. have done Il delib
crate murder. do not W sh you to
conceal the mode of my escape. Fred.
Warner was your husband. He would
have returned to You after time. l
have made this impossible. You have
neither home nor friends. have money,
the accursed stuff with which bought
my false wife. In short time | shall
be hung for this murder. l have no
relatives upon whom to bestow my
wealth. 1t will all go to strangers.
Accept this packet, then; it is yours to
do with us YOU think best, and cannot
but be thankful for the chance which
has thrown YOU in my way
A packet dropped into Muriel Warn
er's lap rs these words We're spoken.
The boat rocked slightly us the tall fig
ure sprang upon the shore, and then
she was alone in the darkness upon the
river.
After this she wandered about the
world, woman whose life and feel
ings seemed banumb.d forever. She
knew what had happened at Rocky hill,
but she had no desire TO return there
husband She had no wish TO return
to the friends who had grown cold
when misfortune come upon her. She
knew that R,lph Resseguie had made
her wealth woman, but she felt none
of the scrupleS which she once would
have felt about accepting his money.
She never spoke OF that night in the
boat with any to whom shs came in
contact
She never heard whether Ralph Res
seguie was captured or not. She never
knew what became of his miserable
wife.
Her past life seemed half forgotten
dream, and she was only dimly con
SCiotiS vi NV itstt VA
At thirty-tiye years OF age Muriel
Warner was :, beautiful and cultured
woman. She had visited nearly all the
countries of the Old World. Acqua Mt
ances she made. hut never friends, and
these often wondered when i'll reply to
their inquiries she would say:
Il never real Il newspaper. never
write nor rece We Il letter.
But her me of awakening came,
and the one to stir the dormant emo
tons of her woman's heart was a
stranger. and 4 man.
1t was at the Bahama Island where
she first met Norman Van Ness.
He was forty years of age-a Her
cules in the fullness of his manhood.
and h, seemed to be attracted, nay, to
love l.er from the very first.
Her deep blue eyes soon grew to
watch for him, and became soft and
tender beneath the light in his dark
ones, and with the growth of her new
love many of the feelings of her youth
came back to her.
Father and mother, long forgotten.
became dear once more to her, and
often she caught herself thinking.
If h. ever speaks, and if after
have told him all, we are ever mar
ried, l will get him to take me home to
my parents. 81
But he did not speak. Weeks grew
into months. and the loaged-for love-
| words never came. MurieIs heart
| again began quivering with pain. She
knew not that its numbness had de-
parted forever
Sometimes she felt that she ought to
move on; to get away from influences
| which more likely would prove sadden-
ing to her, but she could not at once
| bring herself to do this.
While she was debating the subject in
| her mind the crisis came.
A storm had been sweeping over the
Bahamas, a vessel was gong to pieces
upon the reef Muriel was out upon
the wave-washc,l shore, her eyes br, ghi
and her cheeks rosy with excitement.
Her golden brown hair had been ZOOS.
| enad BY the drying wind, and she was
that rare bat delicious creature, 4
woman beautiful when she is mature.
| Norman Van Ness was by her side,
and Muriel expressed wish to row
out near to the life-saving boats
| which were battling tn the waves
and overladen with human beings
| whom they had rescued in a half
drowned state.
.'Let me be your boatman. pleaded
Van Ness, and Mur;el could not repress
her thoughts which whispered to her
| of that long forgotten night when her
husbands murderer had been her boat
man.
The strong man took his place al the
oars Out over the waters they rowed
together. the dreadful past rising so
strong before the woman that she had
no thought of the man so near her.
| s.Muriel,' said he, in low voice
''Muriel, MVriel,. l love yon, but | have
no right to say these words to you.
MurieI, have YOU never thought that
might be Ralph Resseguies"
"Can it be?" she said. slowly. 81
did not see your face by daylight, you
| know.
Eyes, it is /. {. married man and a
murderer; but stu I love you, Mu,
riel."
land l love YOU" she said in tone
of despair.
| They were nearing the life-boats
now, and one of the crew shouted:
Ivan Ness we cannot go back jus,
vet, and here is man and woman
who need immediate attention, if they
are not already dead. We will put
them in your boat, and yon can take
them ashore
Ready hands laid the dripping bodies
in the bottom of the boat and will
strong strokes and avertcd head Ralph
Resseguie pulled for the shore.
When they were nearing land he
glanced for the first time at his burden.
my God, my wife!" he cried
"And Fred. Warner said Muriel
with thrill of relief and horror.
1t was true. Fred. Warner had no
died, and the deed which had made
these two wanderers upon the face OF
| the earth, he'd been q farce, after ali
The days Of tle Iis4;iitv pair on eartl
were numbered. - MABEL Ressegui'
never recovered consciousness. Fred.
Warner lived few days, long enough